


Get Ready

by DJBunn3



Category: Free!
Genre: Coming Out, Day 2 - Opening Ceremony, Day 8 - Life After Swimming, Friends to Lovers, Future Selves, Gay Panic, Insecurity, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Post Season 1, Rinharu Week 2016, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-07-29 21:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7699393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJBunn3/pseuds/DJBunn3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In some sort of time parallel which they will most definitely ask Rei about later, Rin and Haru have been thrust five years forward in time to their future selves' shared apartment. Rin is less than amused, especially learning about his and Haru's future relationship.</p><p>“Well, the first thing you’ll want to know is that you’re in the future. I’d say about four or five years.”<br/>“How is that possible?” Haru asks.<br/>“I don’t know. Scientists have been trying to crack time travel for years with no luck, and suddenly you two just drop into my home. Your Rei’s gonna be upset for a while, but he’ll science himself out eventually.”<br/>“Rin?” A sleepy fifth voice calls, and suddenly a man wanders in from the other room. “Did we get robbed?”<br/>Tokyo Rin sighs. “Morning, Haru. Come say hi to our guests.”<br/>Haru frowns, looking the man up and down. He’s shorter than Tokyo Rin, with straight black hair and blue eyes clouded by sleep, and even with the stubble and the sharp lines and the obvious age difference, Haru can see that it’s him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Your Marks

Something’s definitely different, Haru thinks. It could be the unfamiliar setting, or his lack of memories of getting here. It could be because someone else is here as well.  
“What the fuck,” Rin says. “This is not my fucking room.”  
“No kidding,” Haru agrees, glancing around the apartment. It’s small, modern looking, well lit, and fully inhabited by strangers.  
“Did we get drunk last night?” Rin asks. “Do you remember anything?”  
“I remember going to bed,” Haru says. “But not here. In my house.”  
Rin sighs in agitation, standing up from the couch and pacing the floor. “Damn, I don’t remember _anything_. Is this one of Nagisa’s pranks? What the _hell_ are we doing here?”  
“Whatever happened, we need to get out before someone sees us and calls the police.”  
“Screw the police, I want to know what’s going on!”  
Haru slaps a hand over his mouth. “Don’t yell, or we’ll be caught even faster.”  
“I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch,” Rin says, grinding his teeth together.  
“I doubt Nagisa would leave us in danger,” Haru replies, trying to keep a level head. “But we need to get out and call him, just to be sure.”  
“Fine,” Rin grunts, patting his pockets. “Fuck. I don’t have my phone.”  
“We’ll use a payphone.” Haru doesn’t bother adding that he doesn’t have his, either. His phone is basically a permanent fixture on his bedside table, and most of the time it’s not even charged.  
“Do you have any money?” Rin asks.  
“We’ll steal some, or beg or something.”  
“Fine. Great. Now we’re thieves.” Rin storms to the door and yanks it open, still glaring at him. “Do you ever think your sentences through? And people say I’m the future criminal.”  
Haru freezes.  
“Why do you look like that?” Rin pivots to the open door and stops in his tracks.  
“Um…” The man at the door scratches his head with the hand not holding a bagel bag, looking slightly puzzled. “You two look a little… younger than usual.”  
Haru recovers first. “We were just leaving,” he says, trying to slip by the huge man. (And trying to remember where he’s seen him before, because he looks familiar.)  
However, Rin has other plans. He grabs Haru’s shoulder, securing him in place, and glares at the mystery man. “Not so fast, Haru,” he says. “I want answers.”  
“Rin,” Haru hisses, glaring. God, he’s an idiot sometimes. “What are you doing, we have to _leave_.”  
The man’s eyes widen in surprise. “So it _is_ you,” he says, moving past them into the room. “But, you look so different.”  
“I’m sorry, do we know you?” Rin demands.  
“Guys, it’s me.” When neither of them responds, he adds, “Makoto.”  
Haru squints at the man, moving from his green eyes to his pointed chin and friendly smile. Sure, he’s a little sharper and his eyes are a little more aged, but he’s definitely…  
 _Oh my god._  
“Makoto?” he asks. “You look different.”  
“What do you mean?” Makoto asks, still puzzled but not alarmed. “You guys are the ones who look different. Younger.”  
“What?!” Rin exclaims. “You’re the one who looks older, if anything.”  
“It’s true,” Haru agrees. “Makoto, what’s going on? Where are we?”  
“Hey.” A new voice joins the party, and everyone turns to face it. “I heard screaming. What’s--”  
Rin shrieks. Haru stares. Makoto simply looks back and forth between them and the newcomer in mild confusion.  
Sharp chin, pointed teeth poking out of a slightly agape mouth, long red hair tied back in a messy ponytail. He’s wearing a black tank and low slung gray sweats. Taller, more muscular, and older, but…  
“Rin?”  
“Makoto?” the new man says. “Who are these? They almost look like-”  
“You’re…” Rin takes a shaky step forward. “Y-You’re… me?!”  
The other Rin, the one who apparently lives here, seems far less surprised than the rest of them. “So, it finally happened.”  
" _What_ happened?!” Rin exclaims. “Where the fuck are we, and how the fuck are you _me_?!”  
“Ah,” the newcomer says, taking a few steps forward. “Ask Rei if time travel’s possible when you get back to Iwatobi. We’re in Tokyo, by the way.”  
“We’re in Tokyo?” Haru asks, covering Rin’s shocked squeaks with his hand. He seems to be adjusting much faster than Rin. Tokyo Rin smirks at them.  
“Real cute,” he says, turning towards the couch. “You might as well sit back down. There’s a lot of explaining to do.”  
“I’ll stay, too, if that’s okay,” Tokyo Makoto says, following them. “I want to know what this is about.”  
“So,” Tokyo Rin says, “can I get you anything? Are you guys thirsty?”  
“We’re fine,” Haru says, shaking his head. “We just want answers.”  
“Okay, then.” Tokyo Rin sits across from them, stretching his arms and legs out. “Well, the first thing you’ll want to know is that you’re in the future. I’d say about four or five years.”  
“How is that possible?” Haru asks.  
“I don’t know. Scientists have been trying to crack time travel for years with no luck, and suddenly you two just drop into my home. Your Rei, the science nerd, is gonna be upset for a while, but he’ll science himself out eventually.”  
“Okay,” Rin says, moving closer to Haru as Makoto sits on his other side. “So we’re in the future. How do we get back? And why?”  
“I can’t explain much of that,” Tokyo Rin replies. “But you’ll be back before the end of the day, and no time will have passed in Iwatobi. As for what you’re doing here...”  
“Rin?” A sleepy fifth voice calls, and suddenly a man wanders in from the other room. “Did we get robbed?”  
Tokyo Rin sighs. “Morning, Haru. Come say hi to our guests.”  
Haru frowns, looking the man up and down. He’s shorter than Tokyo Rin, with straight black hair and blue eyes clouded by sleep, and even with the stubble and the sharp lines and the obvious age difference, Haru can see that it’s him.  
 _No way._  
“Morning, Makoto,” Tokyo Haru says.  
“Good morning, Haru-chan,” Makoto replies. Tokyo Haru frowns at the -chan, but doesn’t argue. He blinks the sleep from his eyes and then locks eyes with Haru.  
“So today’s the day.”  
“Wait--” Rin seems to have gotten his bearings back much quicker this time. “Did you two just wake up?”  
“Fuck,” Tokyo Rin whispers, glancing at Makoto for help.  
“Do you live together now?” Rin asks. “Why?”  
Makoto steps in now. “Uh, Rin, I know this might be hard for you to hear, but-”  
“Oh my god,” Rin whispers. “Don’t tell me-”  
Tokyo Haru cuts him off, sliding his arm around Tokyo Rin’s waist and plopping down next to him. “You get together in about a year.”  
There’s a heavy silence around the room. Rin’s face is getting red. Haru’s finding it hard to think.  
They. Get. Together?  
“I would’ve put it a little more tactfully than that, babe,” Tokyo Rin says. And regular Rin freaks out.  
“What the fuck?!” he shrieks. Makoto flinches. “What the holy flying fuck?! Oh my god, tell me you’re lying.”  
“Rin,” Haru protests. “Come on, don’t.”  
“Did you hear them, Haru? Why the fuck are you so calm?!” Rin’s eyes are stretched wide in panic in the second Haru sees them, before he’s turning towards Tokyo Rin again. “How did this happen? I’m not even gay!”  
“Maybe you’re not, but I am.” Tokyo Rin shrugs, then redirects his attention at Haru. “Hey, Haru, it’s gonna be a lot of work, but I know you can break him down. He’s just stuck in some stupid internalized gay panic.”  
Rin moans. “I can’t believe this. What the fuck?”  
Tokyo Haru and Haru share a look. “He’s difficult,” Tokyo Haru says, “but it’s well worth the wait.”  
Haru doesn’t say anything in reply. He’s not so willing to believe.  
“So you guys do couple-y stuff like kiss and hold hands and stuff?” Rin asks, sounding both repulsed and intrigued at the same time. “And you’ve been together for four years?”  
“They’re married now,” Makoto helpfully points out.  
“But- We- You- I mean, Haru agrees with me!” Rin says, turning to Haru. “It’s weird, right? I mean, knowing that we’re gonna get together soon? That’s just fucking crazy, not to mention stressful. I mean, you just told us that we’re going to get _married_. What are we supposed to do until then, act like everything’s normal?!”  
Tokyo Rin sighs. “Look, I know you’re in the middle of some sexuality crisis or whatever, but would you just listen to yourself? You’re going on about not wanting to be fuck-buddies or lovers or whatever with Haru when he’s _right next to you_.”  
“It’s not like _he_ wants to get married, either,” Rin huffs quietly, and Tokyo Rin continues.  
“Besides, ending up with this guy isn’t the worst thing in the world,” he says, turning to Tokyo Haru with a fond look on his face. Haru feels sick and sad, like his stomach is in his throat, and he’s not sure why.  
“That’s not what you said when I beat you in that race yesterday,” Tokyo Haru says, completely blank and deadpan. Tokyo Rin whirls on him, and Haru can see the similarity a little better now.  
“Oh, fuck off,” Tokyo Rin says. “You’re the one who married me.”  
“You’re the one who proposed.”  
Rin blanches. “I _what_?!”  
Ignoring them, Tokyo Rin and Haru draw closer to each other. “And you’re the one who said yes,” Tokyo Rin replies.  
“Best decision I ever made,” Tokyo Haru says. Their faces are inches apart. Makoto looks on fondly, like a proud parent. Haru feels like he’s intruding on a private moment.  
Then their lips brush against each other and Rin makes a little strangled sound in the back of his throat. Looking over, Haru notices that he looks like he’s in pain.  
 _Is it really that bad?_ he thinks. As if Rin’s reading his mind, he glances over. Their eyes meet.  
Makoto clears his throat and Rin looks away so fast he’s probably dizzy. Tokyo Rin and Haru pull away from each other, looking not at all ashamed.  
“Rin,” Tokyo Rin says. “Can I talk to you for a second?”  
“What do you want with me?” Rin asks, and he sounds almost panicky. “How do I know I can trust you?”  
“Rin, he’s _literally_ you,” Haru says quietly.  
“I just.” Tokyo Rin glances at Tokyo Haru for moral support. They squeeze hands. “I just want to talk to you,” he says. “I’ve been through where you’re at right now, and I’d rather not put you through it, too.”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rin mumbles, but he follows Tokyo Rin anyway.  
Before they leave the room, Rin shoots a glance back at Haru. He looks confused, and Haru doesn’t blame him for that.  
It’s just… He also looks sad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru begins to realize something.

Haru waits in silence with Makoto and his future self. As they wait, he feels his eyelids start to droop, and his mind fuzzes over a bit. It seems strange, he thinks, that this future is _his_. The future is supposed to be mysterious and secretive, and yet he knows now exactly where he’ll be in five years.  
“What do you do now?” he asks. “Do you still swim?”  
Tokyo Haru smirks. “I can’t give _everything_ away,” he replies.  
Makoto clears his throat. “So, shouldn’t the universe be imploding or something?” he asks. “Because you guys are in the same room and all?”  
“If it hasn’t exploded yet, I’m guessing it’s not going to,” Tokyo Haru replies. “Besides, it didn’t when we went through it a few years back.”  
“Oh, right,” Makoto says. “You never mentioned time travel when we were their age.”  
“Would you have believed me?”  
_Probably,_ Haru thinks, knowing how gullible Makoto is, but he decides he won’t say anything when he gets back to Iwatobi. It’s seemed to work out for him so far, if his future is any indication.  
“We’re back,” Tokyo Rin announces, slouching against the doorframe. Compared to his future self, Rin looks extremely tense and annoyed. He slinks over to the couch and sits as far away from Haru as he can.  
“So they’ll just disappear sometime today?” Makoto asks, standing next to Tokyo Haru.  
“I don’t know,” Tokyo Haru replies, shrugging. “Rin?”  
“What did we do when we were meeting us?” Tokyo Rin scratches his chin. “I think we just, like, fell asleep.”  
“But you said we’d be here for a whole day!” Rin exclaims.  
“Hey, it’s been a while, okay?”  
“So we just need to sleep,” Haru says, his mind turning. It sort of makes sense, since sleeping was apparently what got them here, but at the same time, he doesn’t think he could fall asleep if he tried.  
“Here,” Tokyo Rin says, throwing a blanket between them on the couch and turning to the door. “This could take a while, so better start now.”  
“Where are you going?” Makoto asks as Tokyo Haru follows him out.  
“Coffee. It’s too early to function without it,” Tokyo Rin explains.  
“Come on, Makoto,” Tokyo Haru adds. “Let’s just leave them to it.”  
With that, the three of them head out, leaving Rin and Haru alone together on the couch.  
“This is ridiculous,” Rin huffs. Haru turns to him curiously.  
“Which part? The fact that we’re in the future, or the fact that we’re married?” he mutters.  
“I don’t know.” Rin glares at the rug underneath the couch. “I’m not gay, you know.”  
Haru sighs. “So this is all some elaborate prank, after all? Because if not, we kind of both know that you _are_. Or at least you will be.”  
“Shut up.” Rin lays his head on the arm of the couch. Haru curls up on the other side and closes his eyes.  
“What did he say to you?”  
“Huh?”  
“The other Rin. What did he say?”  
“Oh, that.” Rin shuffles around so he’s more comfortable. “He gave me this whole coming out speech about being myself and accepting who I am.”  
“Fun.”  
They lie in silence for a few seconds, and Haru can almost fall asleep again, (it _is_ pretty early in the morning,) when Rin speaks up.  
“Why are you so calm about this?” he asks. “You just found out we’re both gay and we’re gonna _marry_ each other someday. Doesn’t that freak you out at all?”  
Frankly, it doesn’t, but he doesn’t say that. “I don’t think we really have control over it,” he answers finally. “I mean, they’re _us_. They probably reacted just like this when _they_ found out about it, and they _still_ got together, right?”  
Rin mumbles something unintelligible. “But you’re not, y’know, happy about it or anything,” he says. “Right?”  
Haru shrugs. His shoulder hits the arm of the couch. “Not particularly,” he says. Going out for early morning coffee, swimming together every day, curling up together on this very couch and watching bad movies, and then watching Rin cry over bad movies, and then comforting him until they both fall asleep together? What’s so great about that?  
Putting those thoughts out of his mind, he tries to get back into that fuzzy mindset from before.  
“Why are you so against it?”  
Rin starts, and Haru frowns. He hadn’t even meant to speak.  
“Because it’s _weird_. We’ve known each other since we were little kids and we’ve never wanted to get together. So why would we start dating all of a sudden?”  
“Maybe something changed,” Haru says. “I mean, it _had_ to have changed, right?”  
And this time, they actually do stay quiet. Haru closes his eyes and wills himself to fall asleep so they can go home.  
It must have worked, because the next thing he knows, he’s waking up in his own bed to the sound of his phone ringing. Of course it’s Rin.  
“What the fuck,” Rin says. “Do you remember any of that, or am I just going totally insane?”  
“No, no, I remember,” Haru says.  
“We need to ask Rei about time travel. But _subtly_ , because I really don’t _need_ people to know that we’re supposed to get married,” Rin rants. “He’s a scientist, right? I haven’t seen him much since the relay.”  
“He’s a swimmer,” Haru says.  
“Yeah, but he’s also a scientist?”  
“I guess.”  
Haru touches his fingertips to his lip, remembering Tokyo Rin kissing his future self. _What’s up with me?_ he thinks.  
“Anyway, I have to go. If you talk to Rei, make sure to tell me what he says. And ask him about connected dreams, and dream symbolism. Oh, and don’t tell anyone about any of this, okay?”  
“Okay,” Haru says.  
“Good. Great. See you later.” Rin pauses. “Probably soon. Bye.”

* * *

 

“In theory, time travel could exist,” Rei says. “Then again, it depends on what you mean by it. Are you referring to rewinding and speeding up time, or jumping from minute to minute without a solid track?”  
Haru squints. “The second one.”  
“Like in a time machine?” Nagisa pipes up.  
“More like being dropped five years into the future,” Haru explains. “Or something.”  
“Without machinery? That’s the kind of thing scientists strive for, but so far none have been successful. And if any have, they must have gotten stuck in a time paradox of some sort, because no one’s ever heard about it.”  
“What brought this up all of a sudden?” Makoto asks. “You’ve never been interested in science before.”  
Haru shrugs. “What about… connected dreams? Like, two people having the same dream and interacting with each other in it?”  
“Also improbable,” Rei says. “Did something of the sort happen to you?”  
Haru contemplates not answering, and decides it’s the best path of action.  
Nagisa rolls over with an ‘aha’ face on. “What if this isn’t actually Haru we’re talking to? Like, it’s some sort of ghost who’s possessing Haru’s body and wants to turn back time and keep themself from dying!”  
“Nagisa, please.” Rei closes his eyes in faux exasperation, but Haru can see his mouth curving up a bit. “I’m sure that would never happen.”  
“Couldn’t it, though? I mean, sure, science hasn’t proven anything about ghosts and stuff, but maybe that’s because everyone who’s seen one has died.”  
“Then we’d be dead,” Rei says.  
Ignoring them, Makoto turns to Haru. “Really, though, what’s got you so interested in all that stuff?”  
“Nothing.” Haru shrugs. “Curiosity.”  
Makoto sighs. “Honestly, I can never keep up with you.”  
“I’m sure you’ll understand someday,” Haru says, remembering Tokyo Makoto discovering them even before Tokyo Rin had.  
“I’m not so sure,” Makoto says, but he lets the subject drop.  
Haru ghosts his fingers over his lips again and smiles.

* * *

 

They pretend that nothing’s changed between them, but Haru knows it has. Because Rin sometimes jerks his hand back when it brushes against him, or clears his throat and looks away after they’ve gotten too close. He blushes and stammers a lot more over the next few months than he had in his early teen years. After Sousuke comes back, much to Haru’s chagrin, they spend a lot of time together away from him, and one day he stops contacting Haru all together.  
After about a week of Haru sulking and Rin avoiding him, (and Makoto, Gou, Rei, and Nagisa worrying quite obviously behind their backs) he decides he’s had enough. So he catches a train to Samezuka Academy with Makoto and bullies Nitori into letting him in.  
When Rin answers the door, Haru slaps him clean across the face. Just because he deserves it.  
“Ow! What the hell?!” Rin opens one eye and rubs a hand across his cheek, where the skin is already pinking. “Haru? Makoto? What are you guys doing?”  
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Haru accuses, trying not to let his anger overtake him. He settles for an annoyed glare. Rin’s shoulders sag and he looks away guiltily.  
“No I haven’t,” he says, although not without sheepishness.  
“Yes you have, jerk.” Rin’s a few inches taller than him, so he has to come up real close to get in his face. “Why?”  
“You’re being dramatic,” Rin mumbles. “I’ve just been busy with school and all. I have to get better times, or Mikoshiba will tell his brother, and he’ll kick my ass.”  
“This has nothing to do with your times!” Haru glares, his fists tightening at his sides. “You don’t have to be so weird about this,” he snaps.  
“I’m not being weird! It’s just that this _is_ weird!” Rin replies, promptly pulling Haru into the dorm and slamming the door in Makoto’s face. (Haru will have to apologize later, but he doesn’t have time to worry about it now.) “Look, I’m sorry that I haven’t been around much lately. I’m really trying here!”  
“Trying?”  
Rin looks down. “Trying to act like things are normal,” he states quietly. “I mean, that’s what we should be doing, right?”  
“How should I know?” Haru’s trying not to pout, but they both know he’s failing horribly. He tries to recompose his face into something more rage filled. “It’s not like this has happened to anyone before. All I know is, you’re avoiding me, and I don’t like it.”  
Haru waits for Rin to say something, and when he doesn’t, he reaches out and takes Rin’s hand. “Don’t be like this, okay?”  
“But…” Rin protests. “It’s hard…”  
Haru gives him his best level stare. “You studied in Australia for years, then came back and replaced Mikoshiba as the captain of the swim team less than a year later. Talking to me should be easy.”  
“It’s different,” Rin says. “It’s not like swimming or anything… I can’t get _married_ to swimming, and I certainly can’t fuck up my relationship with it.”  
Haru fights the smile off his face.“Rin…”  
Rin looks up, registers what he says, and blushes brightly. “I didn’t mean! I mean, uh-- Ugh, nevermind.”  
“Just, don’t avoid me anymore, okay?” he says. Hesitantly, Rin nods.  
“I’ll try my best,” he agrees. “But I wish they’d let us figure it out on our own instead of just dropping it on us like this.”  
This time Haru smiles, just a little. “Well, you’ll just have to remember that when _you_ deal with us in five years.”  
Rin’s embarrassed expression shifts into one of horror, and Haru wonders if he’s thought about that _at all_ or if the marriage aspect has overwritten everything else about that strange, strange day.  
“What was that about?” Makoto asks as they walk back to the train station. “Is everything okay?”  
“Yes,” Haru says, because he thinks it is. With his limited knowledge of normal human interactions and emotions and whatever, he can tell that things are at least better, if not fixed.  
“You said Rin was avoiding you? Why?”  
“It’s complicated.”  
“Come on, give me something more to go on!”  
Haru sighs. “You’ll understand it in the future.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too lazy to make an actual separate fic for Day 8 of Rinharu Week, so I figured this kind of filled the prompt 'life after swimming'.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used to wonder how it was that authors could leave their work in progress fanfics without updating for months.  
> ...  
> Oops?
> 
> EDIT: This chapter used to be different. I thought it was too rushed and people agreed with me, so I added parts of it to Chapter 2 and then extended multiple scenes from this one. I hope you enjoy the new version more!

Haru squints. It’s too early for this, and nothing’s making sense. The sharp and toothy smile he recieves almost makes up for it, though.  
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rin turns and gives Haru an over-confident smile. “Australia!”  
_Almost_ makes up for it.  
He packs his bags as quickly as possible, and they make it through security and customs without any mishaps. (And Haru calls Makoto in case he tries to drop by later, disregarding their fight for now, because he doesn’t want a hysteric Makoto on his hands even if he is abandoning him.) Then they’re on the plane, and a nervous worm creeps into his stomach as they take off.  
Rin’s brought his iPod and earbuds, but he leaves the one on Haru’s side out so they can talk. He won’t reveal anything about the trip, but does hint at the chance to go swimming while they’re there. Haru doesn’t know how to feel about that, after the whole nightmare scout race thing, but he’s sure he’ll get over that whole situation soon.  
(Literally, he’s _sure_. Tokyo Haru had said something about racing Rin, which means he must still swim five or so years into the future. Which is disconcerting, but also kind of a relief.)  
At some point, Rin falls asleep. Haru can hear Rin’s music playing softly in the background, so he reaches for his iPod to turn it off. And, well, somehow Rin’s arm finds its way around his waist as he does so, because it’s one of those airplanes where the armrest can be flipped up and moved out of the way, and neither of them had bothered to put it down beforehand.  
When Haru moves back after successfully turning off the music, Rin’s head flops onto his shoulder. His hair tickles the side of Haru’s face as he breathes, and somehow it’s obvious that he’s at least a little conscious, because his chest is rising and falling unevenly. Haru doesn’t bother to point this out and contents himself with looking out the window.  
They’re going to get married, he thinks. In anytime between a month from now to half a year away, they’ll get together. And how? Will there be a love confession? Will one of them simply kiss the other, like Tokyo Rin and Haru had done so long ago in the future? Will they fight? Will they tell everyone?  
He entertains these thoughts for so long that by the time he’s snapped out of them the plane is landing and Rin’s sitting up and stretching and pretending he didn’t sleep on Haru for the whole flight.

* * *

 

Later, in the taxi, Rin, fresh and recharged from his nap on the plane, is talking a mile a minute about his plans for Australia. “We’ll go to meet Russell and Lori, and then I have somewhere special I want to take you. I can’t tell you much, but I really think-- god, I hope you like it.”  
Haru nods along absently, feeling pleasantly drowsy from the day of travel and the comfortable car seat. His mind drifts to the future yet again, and he wonders yet again if he dreamt up the whole thing. But then Rin gives him a look, the same look he always does when they’re both thinking the same thing, and he knows it was real.  
“Hey,” Rin says, and nudges Haru slightly. “Hey, all good?”  
“All good,” Haru echoes, because of course he’s good. They’re back on track, finally, after what feels like forever. No more weird future selves getting in the way, no more stand offs with Yamazaki-- for now, at least-- and no weird locker room feelings that lead to screaming matches and hurt.  
No, there are no bad feelings at all right now.  
He wishes he’d remembered the exact date they’d been sent to the future. He remembers the month obviously, but, not really anything else. He’s been thinking about Tokyo a lot lately, and as much as he’d like to pass it off as nothing, he really can’t.  
Haru’s never had a crush before, but he understands that this is what it feels like. When somebody constantly occupies your thoughts, and when they make you happy just by talking to them. He’s heard enough gossip from Kou and her friends to understand this much, at least. And he’s never thought about his sexuality before, but he can cross that bridge later-- he doesn’t care so much right now.  
“Hey,” Rin repeats himself. “We’re here. You wanna get out of the car, or what?”  
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Haru grumbles, but his mood is still light as a feather. He drags their suitcases out of the trunk while Rin pays and says goodbye to the driver in English.  
“Ready to check in?”  
“Yeah,” he says, but neither of them move. It’s dark out-- the street lamps spaced out on the sidewalk glow soft and yellow, and the few people who are out make their way quickly down the path.  
Rin’s looking at him, so Haru stares back. He’s wondering if he should say something or just keep enjoying the view when Rin suddenly takes a step forward, and then a set of warm lips lands on his own.  
And it feels like everything, _everything_ has been leading up to this.

* * *

Rin’s tracing patterns on his arm in the hotel bed. They’d gotten ripped off, but it isn’t that bad to share a bed-- especially with this new development in their relationship.  
“What are you thinking?” Rin asks. Haru blinks in surprise, then smiles. He has his back turned, so it’s not like Rin can see him, anyway.  
“Don’t you already know?” he asks, just to be frustrating.  
“I never know what you’re thinking.” Rin admits. “You’re so mysterious.”  
“I’m not the one who disappeared off to Australia for years and came back as an angsty teenager.”  
Rin’s quiet for a minute, and Haru wonders if that was the wrong thing to say. “That’s fair,” he admits finally. “But really, what’s on your mind?”  
“I was thinking about Tokyo Rin and Haru.”  
Rin sits up a little and leans over, his red hair ticking Haru’s cheek. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.  
“Huh? Oh, I never explained… Tokyo Rin is the one in the future.”  
“I see.”  
Haru turns over a little, so he can look at Rin. “I was thinking about your gay crisis.”  
Rin blushes. “Excuse me, I was _not_ having a gay crisis.”  
“How else do you explain your whole “avoiding Haru” thing?” Haru pokes Rin’s ribs playfully.  
“Hey, shut up! It was hard for me, okay?”  
“I know, I know.” Curling back up so his back is to Rin’s chest, Haru lets himself entertain the idea of marriage again. “Hey, we beat them.”  
“Huh? At what?”  
Shaking his head, he sighs. “I mean, they told us we’d get together a year from when we saw them. But it’s been less than a year, and…”  
Rin huffs a happy little laugh. “Are we together now?” he asks.  
“Huh? Aren’t we?”  
“How romantic of you.” Rin returns to tracing patterns on his arm.  
“Okay, but, when did you come around? You were so far in denial before, and look at us now.”  
“Shut up, you’re embarrassing me.”  
“I’m serious.”  
“Hm.” Rin thinks for a second. “I’ve been working on it for a while, you know, self acceptance and all. But I think what finally did it was when you stopped swimming in your race.”  
Haru deflates a little. “I remember.”  
“I saw you struggling, and it was so hard for me. It… well, it broke my heart, and I guess that’s when I realized.”  
“Realized what?”  
“Geez,” Rin sighs. “What’s with all the questions?”  
“I’m curious. Realized what?”  
The blanket behind him rustles slightly as Rin repositions himself. “I just stopped thinking about everything I was trying to avoid, and everything I was trying not to be. You were struggling,and all I could think about was you. I didn’t care about my stupid gay panic, or whatever you called it. I just wanted you to be okay.”  
“And then?”  
“And then, well, it was like that panic had never even existed in the first place.”  
Haru smiles, pressing a hand to his mouth to hide it. “All it took was that, huh?”  
“Hey, don’t make fun of it! I’m still worried about you, you know.”  
Haru’s other hand creeps up to meet Rin’s. “I’ll be okay,” he promises.

* * *

“Um.” Rin looks around nervously, scanning the row of faces from Rei on the left to Makoto on the right, then back to Rei. Yamazaki huffs impatiently.  
“Spit it out, already,” he grumbles. “We don’t have all day.”  
“Shut up, Sousuke,” Rin says. “Look, I asked you all here today because-”  
“Nagisa! Hey!” Makoto cries in protest as Nagisa launches himself at the older boy. “Cut it out! What are you even doing?”  
“Celebrating!” Nagisa replies. “I’ve figured it out! Why Rin-chan and Haru-chan have been so weird!”  
Haru looks at Rin worriedly. Sure, Nagisa has good intuition, but to have figured their relationship out so quickly?  
Makoto’s looking puzzled as well. “What is it?” he asks.  
“Oh, Mako-chan, isn’t it obvious?” Nagisa gives them a sly glance. “Just look at them.”  
“Nagisa, this is highly inappropriate,” Rei starts, intending to chastise him. Surprisingly, Sousuke speaks up.  
“Ryuugazaki, let him finish,” he says, then turns and smirks at Rin. “Now I’m interested.”  
“Rin-senpai, are you two really…?” Nitori looks curiously at the both of them.  
Rin slaps his hand over his eyes. “Why me,” he says.  
“You’re all so oblivious.” Nagisa rolls his eyes playfully.  
“Just say it, Nagisa,” Haru says, relieved that he doesn’t have to be the one to break the news. That is, until-  
“You guys got into university together, didn’t you?” he exclaims, springing up and tackling Rin. Haru’s shoulders slump.  
“Haru?” Makoto asks, his face hopeful and glowing with pride. “Did you really-”  
“No,” Haru says, shaking his head. “That’s not it.”  
“Obviously,” Yamazaki adds helpfully, scoffing at Nagisa, who looks affronted. “Are you all blind?”  
“Sousuke,” Rin warns.  
“Haruka-senpai, surely you can tell us without all the fuss.”  
Haru shakes his head at Rei, meaningfully putting on an annoyed expression. After all, this whole stupid announcement _was_ Rin’s idea. He’d just kind of wanted to let Makoto figure it out and announce it to Rei and Nagisa for them. If Rin wants to make a big deal out of it, he can suffer through the talking on his own.  
“Well, if you’d all let me finish, I’d-”  
“Hold on,” Yamazaki interrupts again. “We need to start a betting pool.”  
“What?!” Rin exclaims. “No. Sousuke, so help me I will glue you to your bed in your sleep.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Ten bucks that they’re moving to Sydney to infiltrate the Australian Olympic team.”  
“I think they’re secretly superheroes!” Nagisa chirps. Makoto shakes his head and tries miserably to act like he’s not enjoying this.  
“We really shouldn’t be betting on our friends,” he tsks. Yamazaki gives him a disbelieving stare.  
“Come on, Makoto, I know you’ve already thought of something,” he says with a raised eyebrow, and for some reason, Makoto totally melts. He might even be blushing a little.  
“Oh, um. Okay,” he mumbles. “Sure. I guess I’d say that… Uh, Rin’s been abducted by aliens and replaced with a drone. So, this Rin in front of us--”  
“Makoto.” Haru sets a hand on his friend’s arm. “Rin hasn’t been abducted.”  
“How do you know, Haru-chan?” Nagisa chirps. Yamazaki rolls his eyes _again_.  
“Nanase obviously knows because you can’t screw an alien drone,” he deadpans. Haru’s face heats up and Rin looks like he’s about to faint.  
Everyone’s kind of silent for a second before Rei gasps, looking scandalized. Makoto’s staring intently at Haru, and Haru’s staring intently at the floor, and Nagisa is rolling around under everyone’s feet laughing like there’s no tomorrow.  
If the look on Rin’s face is anything to go by, there might not be.  
“Sousuke, I’m gonna kill you,” he grits out through clenched teeth. Yamazaki’s eyes light up with interest.  
“Oh, so it’s true, then?” he says. Rei and Nitori kind of scream, and Makoto is giving him another look and probably saying something to chastise everyone back into order so they can make the stupid announcement.  
Head in hands and face a cute pink, Rin mumbles, “We’re together now.”  
By now everyone’s already past the stage of being surprised. Nitori and Makoto start clapping, but quickly stop when Rin balls his hands up into fists.  
“I knew it!” Nagisa exclaims. “I totally called that one, like, _forever_ ago. Right? Right, Rei-chan?”  
“Are you two really dating?” Makoto asks. “Since when?”  
Rin mumbles something about Australia and stupid hotels, and Haru thinks about pushing Yamazaki off a cliff.  
“I didn’t even know either of you were gay,” Mikoshiba exclaims. “Well, I mean, we thought Rin probably was, but everyone seriously thought Haru was just a watersexual or something.”  
“Excuse me!” Rin exclaims. “I’m still your captain, you know!”  
“Congratulations,” Rei says, although he looks like he doesn’t know if that’s the right word to use. Sousuke has lost interest entirely and is lying upside down across Rin’s bunk with his head hanging off the side. Nagisa is talking excitedly to Mikoshiba, and Makoto is just smiling happily at them.  
“Stop it,” Haru mutters, looking away and then back.  
“Sorry,” Makoto replies, still smiling. “I’m just really happy for you guys.”

* * *

Haru hadn’t expected the gold medal to be this heavy. But Rin stands tall and proud beside him, so he does as well.

* * *

“Are you ready?” Rin asks, taking his hand. Haru nods, eyes focused straight ahead.  
“I know you don’t like having everyone’s attention on you, but, well, it’s kind of too late to fix that now. And it’s a short walk, just like you wanted.”  
“What about you?” Haru asks, and Rin does the squinty thing with his eyes.  
“What do you mean? I told you already, I don’t care how far we walk.”  
“No, Rin,” he tries again. “I mean, is this what you wanted?”  
Rin inhales sharply, and the line of his mouth wavers a bit, full of emotion. “Of course, idiot,” he says. “Didn’t I say it before? You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

* * *

 

Usually, Haru wakes up to the sun streaming through the window onto him, or Rin’s pretty face hovering over his own. Sometimes he’ll wake up alone with a note in Rin’s favorite red pen about going on a run.  
Today, Haru wakes up to someone violently shaking his shoulder. “Haru!” Rin hisses. “Hey, get up, there’s someone in the apartment!”  
Haru rolls over and pulls the blanket over his head. “It’s fine. I invited Makoto over for breakfast today, he’s probably just early.”  
“No, no, I don’t think it’s him.” Looking around, his face a mix of panic and aggression that Haru finds surprisingly cute, he adds, “Do we have any weapons?”  
“No. Go out and-”  
There’s a small thump from the other room, and a startled “What?!” followed by Makoto’s voice speaking hurriedly. He sounds panicked.  
“What the fuck?!” Rin curses, jumping out of bed. “Come on, come on, we have to call someone!”  
Haru sighs and rolls over again. He knows exactly what his husband’s gonna find out there, and it’s not criminals. “You go,” he says. “I’m tired. If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’ll call the police.”  
“How kind of you,” Rin mutters, but he grabs a shirt and shuffles towards the door anyway. Haru listens to the far-off sounds of two stubborn kids sick in love and waits for his que to enter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all for reading! I had so much fun writing this one. Sorry about the long unannounced hiatus :/  
> 


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